Propane Autogas

ConocoPhillips to Add 300 Propane Autogas Trucks to Fleet

May 13, 2015
• by Staff

Photo: ROUSH CleanTech

ConocoPhillips recently announced it will convert 30 trucks to propane autogas this year and replace more than 300 more trucks over the next five years with vehicles powered by propane fuel technology.

The U.S.-based energy company has been testing ROUSH CleanTech propane autogas vehicles since 2011, logging thousands of miles in the northwest New Mexico and southwest Colorado.

Most of the converted units will be Ford F-250 trucks, a ConocoPhillips spokesperson said.

Each propane autogas truck emits about 67,000 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over its lifetime than a gasoline powered vehicle. Propane autogas is a low carbon fuel that reduces greenhouse gasses by up to 25 percent, carbon monoxide by up to 60 percent, and nitrogen oxide by 20 percent compared to gasoline, according to ROUSH CleanTech.

Other benefits include safety of the fuel, size of the fuel tanks, performance, reduced fuel costs, extended maintenance intervals, and drivability. The vehicles will be powered by propane autogas produced in the San Juan basin, according to ROUSH CleanTech.

“The addition of propane autogas trucks will greatly reduce ConocoPhillips’ carbon footprint while using a fuel they produce here in the U.S.,” said Todd Mouw, vice president of sales and marketing for ROUSH CleanTech. “And with autogas’ low-priced fuel and infrastructure costs, this investment will pay off for their bottom line.”

The cost for propane autogas averages approximately 30 percent less per gallon than gasoline, according to ROUSH CleanTech.

The new vehicles will annually consume approximately 36.8 million gallons of clean propane autogas, and many will be displacing fuels with higher emissions like gasoline and diesel, according to the Propane Education & Research Council.

Roush CleanTech and BSquare are the newest associate members of the Truck Renting and Leasing Association (TRALA), the nonprofit national trade association that provides the unified and focused voice for the truck renting and leasing industry.

Roush CleanTech is the first propane autogas fuel system manufacturer to receive the Environmental Protection Agency’s and California Air Resources Board’s heavy duty-onboard diagnostics certification for all its engines, the company announced.

Fleet owners and managers will have ample opportunity to learn how propane autogas reduces a fleet’s emissions profile and its total cost-of-ownership with a demonstration during the Work Truck Show 2018.